~ Going beyond the brand

Category Archives: Advice

Any business owner understands the challenge of finding the right talent. Throughout the years of interviewing for a wide array of jobs, I have seen many miss steps along the way from applicants from the seasoned professionals to the newbies entering the market.

The top 5 tips not to do in an interview:

• Expect to land a job without submitting samples of your work. Just because you have been in the field for a while does not exempt one from showing their work and success stores. What a missed opportunity to stand above the crowd to shine. I remember one arrogant candidate asked me “why would I really need to show his work. I saw his portfolio and that should be enough.”

• Coming to an interview ill prepared. Never show up to an interview not understanding what job you are applying for or not have a clue about the company you are interviewing with. During an interview, if you inquire and ask about basic questions like…

Like this:

Is going to work making you sick? Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) are conditions caused by placing too much stress on a joint, such as unusual repetitive movements. Most RSIs are linked to the stress of repetitive motions at the computer or overuse injuries in sports, sometimes referred to as repetitive strain injury (RSI) or cumulative trauma disorder. RSIs frequently develop at work. Small, repetitive activities can strain the muscles and tendons of your upper body, including the shoulder.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), repetitive strain injuries are the nation’s most common and costly occupational health problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of American workers, and costing more than $20 billion a year in workers compensation.

Activities that can cause RSI include: use of industrial machinery, use of a computer mouse, swiping items at a supermarket checkout stand and carrying or lifting heavy loads. Chronic shoulder pain often stems from prolonged, repetitive, or awkward movements. This type of pain is sometimes referred to as repetitive strain injury (RSI) or cumulative trauma disorder. RSIs frequently develop at work. Small, repetitive activities can strain the muscles and tendons of your upper body, including the shoulder. Chronic shoulder and neck pain can a result Working long hours at a computer can really take a toll on our bodies.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly two-thirds of all occupational illnesses reported, were caused by exposure to repeated trauma to workers upper body ( the wrist, elbow or shoulder ). One common example of such an injury is carpal tunnel syndrome.

Long term shoulder pain can become a chronic problems if you work on:
– a computer mouse
– industrial equipment
– swiping items at a retail check out
– lifting or carrying leave loads

Often times determining contributing factors can be difficult. Being sedentary such as working at your computer can weaken your muscles, resulting in pain. Often times, as the day goes longer, many tend to get more tired sitting at their computer, resulting in poor posture and pain.

Some of the most common sources for shoulder and upper body pain:

– awkward postures at a desk
– forced pressure on the body
– resting your wrists on a hard edge while typing
– full body vibration while driving machinery
– using your arms above shoulder level i.e. a hair stylist cutting hair
– being exposed to extreme temperature
– when the body holds a position for an extended period of time

Tips to prevent having working become “a pain”:

– try taking frequent breaks to stretch and get moving. It will also clear out your mind for a short mental break. Set a calendar reminder on your computer to remind yourself to take frequent breaks. Giving your eyes a break will help you distress at work. Try refocusing them on a object about 20 feet way periodically throughout the day.

– your computer monitor should be about a shoulder’s length away from you with the top of the monitor at eye level.

– keep the keyboard and monitor directly straight in front of you to avoid long term turning of your neck/head.

– your elbows should be even with your work space. Consider installing an adjustable keyboard and mouse work tray to your desk.

– to give your dominant hand a break, try switching to your other hand to run the mouse on your computer. It will force you to low down a bit which may provide some relief.

– get a phone headset for longer calls to avoid cradling the phone between your neck and shoulder. You can also use you non-dominant hand for phone calls to free up your hands for computer use.

Here are some ways to sit correctly:• feet should be flat on the floor or on a desk foot rest
• hands and wrists should a aligned with your forearms
• thighs should be parallel to the floor
• elbows should be close to your body and supported
• your lower back should be supported
• shoulders should be relaxed

These are a few tips to address pain and discomfort. We recommend seeing your doctor for a examination to determine the root cause and for treatment before trying these tips.

We can relate to running from one commitment to another all day long, which has you feeling empty and on edge. More and more folks are finding themselves staying up all hours of the night unable to sleep. Tons of thoughts run through their mind resulting in massive to-do lists for the following day. Take some time and slow down to breathe. Overloading may give one a sense of accomplishment, but at what cost? Here are a few tips to help you destress and hit the pause button just for a brief moment.

Take a few minutes daily to sit quietly to focus on your breathing. Breathe deeply in and imagine stress breathing out of your body You’ll feel refreshed immediately. Why not incorporate a little yoga or meditation into your early morning routine?

Tip 2: Stay in the moment

Most stress comes from either reliving the past or worrying about the future. Some may even fret over what-ifs. Typically, the what-ifs don’t come true and add a ton of wear and tear on you mentally. It is hard to feel energized when all of your focus is on worry. The more you worry the more anxiety builds up.

“The world only change from within”
Eckhart Tolle

Don’t allow yourself to get flooded with negative thoughts of anxiety.

Tip 3: If you can’t change your situation, change your perception.
Does your life feel like it’s beyond your control? Feeling sorry for yourself is not the answer. The reality is few things are beyond your control. You almost always have the option to do something that shifts your circumstances. If you have negative thoughts creep in, replace them with a positive ones. Refuse to allow that negative thought to rent any more space in your spirit.

Like this:

It’s that time of year again. Summer has flown by and it’s back-to-school for many students.

Summer is often a time for relaxation – to take things slow, enjoy the weather and maybe even sneak in a vacation.

Taking a break from work is great for your mental health. But as we enter the fall, your business and workload may start to pick up. And we want you to be ready!

So we’ve put together a few back-to-business basics to get your mind refocused as we leave summer behind and enter into another fall season!

Remember Your Company’s Mission

First, take a step back and refocus. What is your company’s mission? Why did you get into the business world, a specific industry or choose to start you own business? There was an underlying motivation in those decisions. Revisit it. When you know why you do what you do and how your products/services better your customers, you can approach your business practices with the bigger picture in mind.

Have a Listening Ear

You hired a team of great employees, so remember that they may be a source for great ideas, especially when it comes to productivity and efficiency in process or operations. If you’re willing to ask the questions and listen, you’ll probably find two or three great ideas you can implement.

Hit The Books

Don’t discount the value of seminars, books and workshops. Learning is a lifelong process and a good business owner is a constant information seeker. We live in an age where more information is readily available than at any other time in history. The Internet is a source for content on anything you may be interested in learning more about. Take advantage of accumulating knowledge and information. You’ll start to see connections between categories and industries you never realized before, not to mention getting ahead of your competitors.

Think About a Tutor

Getting an outside perspective can add value and dimension to your company. A good mentor can usually look at your business and give you a number of strategic suggestions you may not have thought of before, whether it’s re-pricing your product or service lines, repositioning or updating your brand, or adopting new processes for going after new or existing customers.

Need more help getting your business refocused? Baker Creative offers business-based services that can re-energize your company! Call us today at 614-836-3845 to get started.

Print is dead. Public relations isn’t necessary. No one hand writes letters anymore.

These are a few claims that have been buzzing around the industry in the past few years, especially since the rise of the Internet and social media.

While these claims hold some validity, they are not an absolute. In other words, not everything is dead. It is just that the face has changed.

Let’s begin with print.

It is true that many businesses have migrated their marketing efforts to the web. Not only is online marketing cost effective, but also it is convenient and has the potential for large exposure. This does not negate the fact, however, that print still has some advantages over digital efforts.

Credibility. Print communicates credibility. There is something about print that gives a sense of legitimacy. The amount of popups and banner ads we consume on the web can be overwhelming. Not to mention the fear of data hacking, spam and viruses is enough to make people weary of clicking.

Brand Management. Print is great for solidifying brand identity. Advertisements should have a consistent aesthetic in terms of fonts, colors and types of images to establish brand recognition.

Target Marketing. While the Internet can provide great exposure and reach for advertisements, the efforts may not have a positive ROI. How do you know that your advertisements are reaching your target consumer? Print allows for placing ads in specialty magazines that effectively reach niche audiences.

Tangibility. A print piece is a physical thing. Magazines and newspapers can stay in house or offices for months or years, while Internet ads can disappear into cyber space instantaneously. Additionally, remember that not everyone is a digital consumer. It is no question that most journalistic publications have migrated to an online platform. But there is still a chunk of the population that prefers to have a newspaper tangibly in their hands.

So, despite what some people may be saying, print is not dead. It is just the way print is used is changing.

As a business owner, how do you know how to leverage print in a digital-heavy marketplace? Baker Creative can help. Call us today at 614-836-3845 to get started.

Experts say maintaining personal connections is a key component of staying younger as we grow old.

Are we so busy that we are aging faster than we know? Hurrying up to get the kids ready for school, baseball & piano practice, homework and then off to bed.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the average life expectancy in the United States is 78.7 years. If you are reading this, chances are you are probably close, if not past, the halfway mark of your life. Kind of scary to think about, isn’t it?

Time is such a valuable commodity. Between family and work, we often find little time for others things in life. According to the Mental Health Foundation, friendship is a crucial element in protecting our mental health. We may talk to friends in confidence about things we wouldn’t discuss with our families. Our friends can keep us grounded and can help us get things in perspective. Unfortunately, due to the busyness of life, our friendships often get neglected.

Sustainability matters for a long, healthy life. Dr. Dean Ornish, a pioneer in reversing heart disease, notes that no other factor in medicine – ”not diet, not smoking, not exercise, not stress, not genetics, not drugs, not surgery – has a greater effect on how often we get sick than the healing power of love.” Thus, having a strong social network is good for our heart and soul.

If you are used to having a jam-packed schedule, ask yourself these three questions:

Do my friends complain about unreturned calls and emails?

Do I dread to have lunch or dinner because it cuts into my productivity or family time?

Am I out-of-touch with my friends?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may have been ignoring your friends to focus on work or family. Life doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing situation.

Sometimes being very busy is temporary. It could just be a certain stage of life you are navigating through such as going to school, having a new baby, transitioning to a new job, moving or caring for a sick family member.

Some find it harder to forge meaningful friendships after age 30. People’s priorities change. In your 20s, you and your friends go to bars and meet people. While in your 30s, you focus on your career, home life and kids.

So how can we find the time to maintain key relationships outside the family unit in a meaningful way? Here are a few ways to foster more personal connections in your life:

Join a class, organization or volunteer. Look for opportunities in your local community, church, professional group or volunteer with like-minded people.

Overcome your fear of rejection. It can happen. Some people will be receptive while others are not. Focus on the ones who seem receptive. You may run into them at the market a few times and they may become a friendly face.

Be open to all types of friends. An elderly neighbor may have some fun recipes, stories and advice.

Use social media to connect with like-minded people in your area.

Social media is a great tool to keep up with old friends. Skype or FaceTime can keep it more personal.

Send a text to let your old friend know that you are thinking of him/her and that you value his/her friendship.

Use social media to schedule a reunion/lunch for a month or two in advance. It will give you something to look forward to and it will heighten your mental outlook.

When you meet with your friends, try to put down your cell phone. Nothing says you’re not that important than taking a phone call or checking messages while your friend is sitting at the table.

Mentor a younger person. You may know more than you realize. Invest in your community one person at a time.

We are all looking forward to a long, happy and fulfilling life. Why not make meeting people and maintaining friendships a priority? Even if it means scheduling it a month or so in advance. By paying more attention to your friends, you will maintain valuable relationships and those lifelong friends will always be there when you need them the most.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Give a leader power and see how they respond to it.

Leadership is all about power and influence. Leaders use power to get things done. According to psychologist Ronald E. Riggio, there are two general types of power. The first is socialized power. Socialized power is power used to benefit others. Leaders that exercise this type of power are primarily concerned with the best interests of those they serve, not themselves.

The other form of power is called personalized power, and it is using power for personal gain. Personal power can become a problem when it dominates and gains, often at the followers’ expense.

What type of leader are you? And what type of power do you exert?

Business Insider details seven types of power that are present in the workplace:

Coercive Power – where a person leads by threats and force. It is unlikely to win respect and loyalty from employees for long.

Expert Power – the perception that one possesses superior skills or knowledge.

Informational Power – where a person possesses needed or wanted information.This is a short-term power that doesn’t necessarily influence or build credibility.

Reward Power – where a person motivates others by offering raises, promotions, and awards.

Connection Power – where a person attains influence by gaining favor or simply acquaintance with a powerful person. This power is all about networking.

Referent Power – the ability to convey a sense of personal acceptance or approval. People with charisma, integrity and other positive qualities hold it. It is the most valuable type of power.

Being a leader puts you in a position of influence. So how do you keep from letting that power go to your head? Here are four tips to avoid the CEO power-trip:

Be a Man/Woman of Character. As a leader, you will inevitably face competing demands from time to time. The ability to manage these demands with integrity, honesty and selflessness becomes crucial in times like these. Being willing to sacrifice your success, your fortune and even your life takes courage and character.

Stay Attentive. A good leader needs to be accurately informed. Be sure you have all the available facts before deciding anything. Thinking through the potential consequences of your decisions often prevents problems from occurring down the road.

Stay Connected. Having the ability to develop meaningful relationships with others is the most important quality a leader can possess. You gain power through relationships. Developing relationships with key people will expand your sphere of influence, your access to resources and your capacity to make things happen.

Serve Others. One of the greatest attributes of a good leader is your willingness to serve others. This service, however, should come from the heart and be genuine. Putting others’ needs and desires before your own is reflected in the attitude and actions of a good leader.

Have you taken any roadtrips lately? Think about how you prepared for the few hours you were about to spend in the car. Chances are you probably got out your smartphone or GPS. You plugged in your starting point and plugged in your destination. And voila! You had the best and most direct route of how to get to your destination.

Creating a strategic plan for your business is just like taking a roadtrip. As a business leader, you must first ask yourself three questions:

Where are you now?

Where do you want to be?

How do you get there?

The tricky part lies in the third question. Unfortunately, there is no “Siri” to tell you exactly how to get from point A to point B in a business plan.

This is why strategic planning is imperative to your business. You may have an idea of where you want to go, but without a roadmap, you are likely to veer off course or get lost. Although some detours can be fun and you may discover new things, detours are costly (think about all the gas you’ve wasted) and add hours onto your trip. The last thing you want for your business is to spend more money and time on something that could have been more effective had you developed a strategic plan.

Many companies invest a significant amount of time and effort in a formal, annual strategic planning process. The main purpose of the discussions is to challenge your current strategy by testing assumptions about the market, ensuring that all strategic choices are being considered, exploring potential opportunities and risks and conducting an honest assessment of your business’s strengths and weaknesses.

There are 3 key details of annual planning meetings that should be addressed in order to facilitate a productive planning process:

Know who should attend the meeting

Real conversations take place in groups of three to 10 people; they simply do not happen in large groups for both logistical and political reasons. First, when a large group comes together for a discussion, you run the risk of developing “groupthink.” Coined in 1972 by social psychologist Irving Janis, groupthink occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to deterioration. People may feel inclined to resist giving their opinion for fear that they will be the odd person out. Discussions may thus lack different viewpoints, which is critical for taking an honest look at your business.

Additionally, once a group grows in size, it is difficult to ensure that everyone can participate meaningfully and hierarchical forces are more likely to come into play. People may feel inhibited during discussions and come away feeling that the meeting was more of a monologue than a real dialogue about critical business issues.

In reality, there are only two essential participants in a business strategy review: the CEO and the business-unit head. Everyone else is discretionary and should be included only if he or she is truly a decision maker. The number of decision makers varies from company to company but typically includes the CFO, the head of corporate HR, one or two senior corporate executives and two to three senior members of the business-unit team. People may fight to be included in these meetings, but you can set up other forums keep them informed and get their buy-in.

Know where the meeting should be held

Strategic planning could take a day, a week or several weeks, depending upon your business. Choosing a location that will be focused and productive is critical. If your planning will only take a day, a large conference room is sufficient. However, make sure you take breaks throughout the day to ensure that your team does not feel trapped. A sense of entrapment could inhibit brainstorming and creativity.

If your planning is likely to take at least a week, consider relocating to a different part of town or traveling to a different city. Creating a type of retreat for your strategic planning team may not only boost morale, but also boost creativity. A change of scenery can facilitate fresh ideas that may not have been inspired by sitting in a conference room for days on end.

Know what kind of preparation is necessary

Preparation is the key to making a strategy discussion pay off. A document detailing the strategy tasks should be sent out at least a week before the meeting, allowing participants the time they’ll need to study it. Participants will come ready, with prepared minds to ask questions and debate the issues.

Strategic planning can be challenging, but ultimately rewarding. If you invest the time and preparation needed to make your annual meeting successful and productive, you’ll have the best and most efficient route to cruise to your next business venture.

Baker Creative can help your company with strategic planning. Call us today at (614) 836-3845 to get started.

Ever feel like a chicken running around with your head cut off? There never seems to be enough hours in the day. The boss has you on tight deadlines at work and when you come home, you can’t even sit down for a moment before you have to cook dinner and run the kids off to soccer practice.

We let our brains run wild with everything we have to do, which causes us to tense up and be on edge. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 73% of people admitted to regularly experiencing psychological symptoms caused by stress including irritability, nervousness and lack of energy.

With much of the battle lying within our minds, here are a few tips to help you cut through the noise and mentally de-stress:

Meditate

Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. A big benefit is that you can practice meditation wherever you are — whether you’re out for a walk, waiting at the doctor’s office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.*

Take Out A Pen and Paper

Having a thousand things running through your brain can create a lot of tension. Journaling is a great way to “brain dump.” By simply writing out your to-do lists, your thoughts and your emotions, you will automatically feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

Unplug

In the age of social media and the digital world, coming home from work doesn’t necessarily mean downtime. Many of us come home and proceed to check our personal email, Facebook page, Twitter feed, Instagram account, etc. Instead, try unplugging when you get home. Stepping away from technology and loads of content will give you a mental break. We promise, you won’t miss anything.

Step Into Nature

Being in nature can provide you with a breath of fresh air. Listening to the sounds of nature, exploring its beauty and taking a deep breath will help you clear your mind.

Crack Open A Book

A study conducted by the Telegraph reported that just six minutes of reading can help you de-stress. Reading is linked to a slower heart rate and muscle relaxation. Reading a novel can also provide an escape into another world, as you enter into the lives of different characters.

Express Gratefulness

Instead of focusing on all the things you are worried about, think of what you are grateful for in your life. By jotting down even small things (good cup of coffee, sunny day, great conversation) daily, you will train your brain to be on the lookout for the good stuff, and thus notice more of it.

Remember, much of our stress is self-induced. By practicing a few of these tips, you’ll help yourself manage stress and better appreciate all the blessings in your life.

Workout? Right. I barely have time to do everything else on my to-do list.

This is something I have found myself saying over and over again. But as my body was beginning to change in ways I didn’t want and my energy level was decreasing, I knew I needed to make a change.

Where to Begin?

I will be the first to admit that exercising did not sound very fun to me. But I was dedicated to making a change. So I took the same approach to exercise as I did with eating more healthy: planning. I have found that planning is essential for making a change that works and a change that sticks.

Helpful Hints

1. Get out that planner or iPhone! Once again, look at your schedule for the week. What are your personal and family obligations? Write everything down. You’ll be able to see the gaps in your week and where you can fit in some time for exercise.

2. Pencil it in. This is my biggest tip! Write when you will workout in your planner. If it’s not incorporated into your schedule, chances are you won’t do it. Try working out in the morning before your day begins. You will get a spike of endorphins to start the day feeling energized! You’ll also have it out of the way for the day. However, if mornings just don’t seem to agree with you (which is the case with me), workout after you leave the office. Belong to a gym? Pack your gym bag in the car and stop there on your way home. This will help you avoid the temptation of getting home and not feeling like changing and driving to the gym.

Having trouble finding gaps of time during your day? Try these easy tips to get moving:

Park further away

Take the stairs

Take a lap around the office during your break

3. Use Pinterest. Whether your goal is to complete a 5K or you just want to tone your muscles, Pinterest is a great place to find training plans and workout routines. I personally love using Pinterest to find circuit routines. You can search by target areas (abs, arms, legs, etc.) and even create boards for each. This will make life easier when you just want to find a quick routine to hit those trouble spots.

4. Aim for 30 minutes of cardio. Take the dog for a jog. Go on a walk with a neighbor. Do a bike ride with the family. Anything to get your heart pumping! Cardio has so many benefits including stronger heart and lungs, reduced stress, more energy and weight loss.

5. Aim for 20 minutes of toning. Weight training is great if you are looking to tone your muscles and lose inches. Whether it is weight machines at the gym or dumbbells at home, strength training provides many benefits including increased bone density and boosted stamina. Additionally, strength training helps control weight. As you gain more muscle, your body begins to burn calories more efficiently.

6. Fuel up after! During exercise, your body looses a lot of fuel. You burn through meals eaten earlier in the day and lose water through sweat. Eating after a workout is essential for the recovery of losses during a workout and for storing that recovery fuel. Generally, protein and carbs are the best things to eat. Protein provides the amino acids necessary to rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged during exercise, while carbohydrates replace glycogen and water losses during exercise. My favorite post workout snack is a banana and peanut butter 🙂 But you could also make yourself a protein shake. My personal favorite is a “Nutty Shamrock” (almond milk, peanut butter, banana, spinach, chocolate protein powder and ice).

Remember, our body is meant to move!

Do you have a job where most hours are spent sitting at a desk? How do you feel at the end of the day? Your muscles are probably tight, your back aches and there is tension in your shoulders. Now think about how you feel after some physical activity. Your muscles are warm, flexible and blood is pumping through your body, providing oxygen and energy.

Our bodies are not meant be stationary. We are made to move! If you continue to exercise, I guarantee it will stick. Your body will get so accustomed to moving, that it will begin to crave the movement.

Since incorporating physical activity into my daily life, my body feels weird if I don’t do anything. I no longer see working out as a dreadful thing, but something that will energize me! And dare I say it, I have actually grown to enjoy exercising 🙂 And my hope is that you will too! Remember, it takes 30 days to form a habit. So what if you miss a few days? We all have days that are jam-packed. But don’t give up! Tomorrow is a new day.